Bill Emerson (January 1, 1938 - June 22, 1996) was an American politician from Missouri. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death in 1996. He was succeeded in the House by his widow, Jo Ann Emerson. He was a Republican. Emerson was raised in Jefferson County and attended public schools in Hillsboro. He served as a Congressional Page and graduated from Westminster College in Fulton in 1959. He attended law school at the University of Missouri and the University of Baltimore, graduating with his LL.B from Baltimore in 1964.
While in law school, Emerson served as a Congressional aide to Representative Robert Ellsworth and after graduation served on the staff of Senator Charles Mathias. Throughout the 1970's he worked in governmental affairs for several companies, and formed his own consulting group in 1979. In 1980, he was elected to Congress and was re-elected seven times.
The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge which crosses the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau is named after him.
